Just A Crush
by Heartfilia-Days
Summary: Lucy begrudgingly agrees to spend a little time with her most amorous spirit, because nothing will come of it. It's just a little crush, right? (Lucy x Loke)
1. Chapter 1: An Unexpected Visitor

Lucy flopped back onto her bed with a soft _thump_.

It had been a long, hard week. Nastu had dragged her on yet _another _hazardous mission she never would have chosen herself, this time featuring several snow covered mountains and a large, amorous Vulcan. Though she'd been exaggerating a little when she said she was dying of frostbite, the cold had left her with sore feet and a headache. That wasn't the worst part though. The worst part was that Natsu had accidentally destroyed the box they were supposed to be delivering when he got a bit too enthusiastic and lit his whole body on fire, effectively burning their cargo to a crisp. Lucy suffered through lectures from a disgruntled client, a disappointed Mirajane, and (worst of all) an irate Erza. By the time she'd gotten home that afternoon, she was tired, grumpy, and lacking any way of paying her rent for the month.

"_Ugh_," she moaned, "I want a hot shower."

Needless to say, she was less than excited when a smooth, confident voice answered.

"Excellent idea. I'll run the water, you get the towels?"

She sat up, and her look of surprise was quickly replaced with one of extreme displeasure.

"Out."

"Alright alright, you can shower alone, but I think when you're done we should still do _something _together. How about dinner tonight? I know a great little place where-"  
"Loke get out right now."

The spirit smiled, ruffling his orange hair sheepishly, though his expression was by no means bashful. In fact, he looked rather cocky as he walked across the room, effortlessly cool in his designer suit (or so he thought anyways.)

"Don't you even want to know why I'm here?"  
"Nope. Not interested. Now go away, I'm too tired to deal with you."

Ever optimistic in the face of Lucy's mood swings, Loke sat next to her on the bed, scooped her feet onto his lap, and started taking off her shoes.

"I know what will make you feel better, _tea_. You keep it in the cupboard on the left, right? Oh wow your socks are damp, were you walking through water? You really shouldn't do that, you'll catch a cold. Of course, if you-""

Lucy groaned loudly and put her pillow on her face, screaming into it.

"Fine," she said in a muffled voice, "You win. I'll play along. Clearly I was destined never to have a moment of peace. Why are you here."

Loke pulled off her socks and tossed them to the floor, then began massaging her feet as if it was the most normal thing in the world. "Oh well Taurus said your mission had gone pretty badly so I figured you needed someone to cheer you up."

She sighed, and moved the pillow off of her face. "I'm impressed," she said flatly, "you've found yet another excuse to summon yourself. I'm surprised you don't have some kind of a record by now."

"Ah, you're so funny Lucy." He moved his hands from her feet to her legs, and began massaging her calves. He very much enjoyed the way she blushed.

"W-what are you doing."  
"You're sore aren't you? I'm just fulfilling our contract and keeping you in mint condition."

"I really don't think our contract says anything about massages," she mumbled, but she didn't ask him to stop either.

"Oh Lucy, Lucy, Lucy, you can be as sarcastic as you like, but deep down I know you love it when I come to see you."

She grumbled, but didn't contradict him. Though she hated to admit it, Loke's company was almost never as annoying as she pretended it was. Even his flirtations could be entertaining at times. _And after all, it's not like he's serious. I suppose there is no harm in indulging him every once in a while. And of course, he's saved me more times than I can count. And I really do like spending time with him, he's a good friend_.

Loke watched Lucy's face, enjoying the way her features softened while she thought. She got up rather suddenly, and walked to her bureau.

"Fine you can stay, but only because you're using _your _magic, and because _everyone else _invades my apartment on a regular basis so you might as well do it too."

"Was that an invitation?"

She answered by closing the bathroom door.

Loke grinned, and took off his jacket.

All kidding aside, he really did plan on spending the afternoon with her. He'd been thinking about her a lot lately, more than usual. And he'd figured it was time to do something about it.


	2. Chapter 2: It's a Date

(Thank you for the reviews!)

Lucy smiled serenely as she turned off the shower. She breathed deeply, and the steam filled her lungs.

"I feel much better," she sighed, wrapping herself in a towel. Somewhere between the pleasant heat and the strawberry shampoo, Lucy had allowed her mind to drift off, and it had ended up being a 45 minute shower. Still feeling dreamy, she walked into her room and hummed softly as she opened her underwear drawer.

Loke leaned back against the windowsill, splayed out comfortably on her bed.

_Do I say something? I should say something. Mmmm, maybe I… no no I'll say something_.

"I figured you would take a while but I was starting to get a little worried you'd drowned or something. Of course, I figured you probably didn't want me to come and rescue you, but I'm kind of wishing I had."

Lucy froze and turned pink. He adjusted his glasses.

"Forget you had company?"

She stuttered. "_Pfft-I-uh_-of course not, I was just- _well don't look_ – I just trust you to be a gentleman that's all."

Loke smiled and closed his eyes. "In that case pretend I'm not even here."

She frowned a little. She _had _forgotten he was there after her long, relaxing shower. Thankfully, it had put her in a very good mood, and she was more bashful than annoyed.

Rather than trusting him to keep his eyes closed, Lucy slipped back into the bathroom and reemerged five minutes later, fully clothed and still smelling heavily of strawberry shampoo.

Loke breathed deeply. "Magnificent."

Before she could protest he was standing behind her, hands on her waist, smelling her hair.

She wiggled out of his grasp, blushing. "Ha um, ha… weren't you um, going to make tea or something?"

He adjusted his glasses and it was then that Lucy noticed he'd not only taken off his jacket, but his tie as well, and his shirt was unbuttoned at the top. This caused her to blush _more _for some reason, and by the time she'd followed him to the kitchen her cheeks were a vibrant red. Loke politely pretended not to notice, though his small smirk made it relatively clear that he was well aware.

"So, why don't you tell me about that job of yours?"  
"Ugh Natsu is _unbelievable_, I still don't know why _I _got yelled at too." While Loke made tea Lucy explained the premise of the request and how cold the mountains were.

"And then after _all _of that, Natsu got carried away and ignited himself which destroyed the box we were carrying, and now I don't have any rent money."

They sat on the floor in front of her bed and she sighed.

"But I guess it's okay, I'll just go on a solo mission later this week to make up for it."

"Well it's a good thing I made our dinner reservations tonight and not Friday like I'd originally planned then. I'd hate to-"

"Wait wait wait, dinner reservations?"  
"For our date tonight. Now, I asked for a table outside but Wednesday evenings are surprisingly busy so we might have to sit-"

"Loke what are you talking about?"  
"Did I forget to mention? We're going on a date tonight."  
"Y-you _suggested _it but then I tried to kick you out and you started talking about tea and massages."  
"Oh well, I made us dinner reservations tonight at 8. Anyways, hopefully they won't be too crowded because if we sit outside we'll have a _beautiful _view of the stars and of course we are both able to appreciate them more than the average customer."  
"L-Loke we're not going on a date."  
He smiled. "Of course we are. Otherwise why would I have come?"

"You said you came to cheer me up!"  
"Yes, by taking you on a date of course. And what better way to express our love?"

Lucy looked bewildered. She was used to him talking about their alleged love for each other, and lifting her off the ground at every opportunity, and even occasionally showing up at her house and giving her a foot massage. But excluding that time he'd said they should get married, he'd never asked her out.

_I guess he isn't even asking me on a date. He's just telling me we're going. He does tend to get a little carried away about this kind of thing… _

She looked up at him with a forced smile. "Don't you have a hundred girlfriends or something like that?"

"Now now Lucy, you should know better than anyone that I was only _pretending _to be a playboy, to ease my aching heart after the death of my Master."

"I find that kind of hard to believe," she mumbled. Either he didn't hear her or he ignored her, because he put his arm around her shoulder and kept talking.

"Now that I've found the love of my life however, I'm no longer interested in other women."  
"You went on a date last Tuesday! I tried to summon you and Virgo had to come instead!"

This time it was his turn to blush.

"Ha, well ah, maybe I haven't _completely _given up being a ladies man. But I can't help it, they flock to me! _Sigh_, I guess I must be _too _good looking." He ran a hand through his hair and stared off into the distance as if he'd said something profound.

"And anyways, all of that would go away in a second if you didn't like it Lucy. You say the word, and I'm all yours."

He let his nose brush against hers playfully, and she jumped up, giggling nervously.

"_Ahaha_, um, well are celestial spirits even allowed to date humans?"  
"Oh, minor details."

"And haven't you already spent a lot of time here today?"  
"I spent three years, I think I can handle one day."

"Well I um, I just feel bad, you've gone to too much trouble and anyways I feel much better," she squeaked, her voice getting higher with every word. "So ha, um, I'm all cheerful now, you can go back."  
"Nonsense, I like spending time with you."  
"Well I probably don't have anything to wear, so-"

"It doesn't have to be anything special, just a nice dress. What did you wear on your last date?"

"…"  
"Lucy?"

She mumbled something unintelligible.

Loke stood up and walked over to her, placing his hands on her arms so she couldn't turn away. "What was that my princess?"  
"…well I haven't exactly been on a date before," she mumbled.

"…"  
"I know I know I'm like the only girl who hasn't been on a date, a-and it's not like people haven't asked me it's just that those people are usually weirdos so I always say no and I mean one time I _thought _Natsu was going to ask me out on a date but then he just wanted my help digging for treasure which I guess I should have expected all things considered, but um I mean really I could have gone any time I wanted I'm just waiting for the right p-"

"You've never been on a date?"  
"…"

Loke's smile came on gradually, slow spreading and radiant like the sunrise as a warm glow overtook his features. He beamed, grinning ear to ear.

"Why Lucy why didn't you tell me!? This is perfect!"  
"…it is?"

"Of course it is! I've always known we were star-crossed lovers but now I'm sure of it! Clearly I was destined to take you on your first date! This is brilliant, imagine, the love of my life and I'm the first one to take her out."

Lucy stared. _Oh dear Lord what have I done_.

"I-I don't know Loke, I mean I like you and everything and I really appreciate everything you've done for me but I'm not really sure if I want to-"

"This is much more important than I realized," he said, effectively ignoring everything she was saying as he paced back and forth. "Well obviously I shouldn't be here then, I need to give you time to get ready and then I'll have to come pick you up, with a bouquet of a dozen roses, no no _two _dozen roses, and we'll have to take the moonlit walk I was saving for next week, after we're done eating."  
"Loke, you-"

"Don't worry Lucy, I know exactly what you're going to say. All of this needs to be a _surprise_, so you get the full first date effect! Never fear, I'll leave right now and give you plenty of time to find a dress." He picked up his jacket and tie, and slipped into his shoes. "The restaurant is relatively fancy but not _too _fancy so I would go with something above the knees. And I like it when you wear your hair down, if you were wondering." He knelt down and kissed her hand. "Goodbye my love, I'll pick you up at 7:45 sharp."

And with a dashing smile, he adjusted his glasses and disappeared, just like that.

Lucy stood there, staring at the empty air where he'd been kneeling.

"Did… what?"

_Did… did I just agree to go on a date with Loke? I… I don't think I agreed… and yet, I get the feeling he's going to show up at 7:45 anyways… _

She sat on her bed.

_I guess it isn't so bad. I mean, he is very cute, and sure he's a little bit over the top but he's a good person, overall. Besides… besides I mean it's just a date, people go on dates all the time. That's what they do, they go on dates. It's not a big deal. It's not like we're getting engaged or anything. Just a date. Right? _

She pictured him, and blushed.

_Just a date. _


	3. Chapter 3: Getting Ready

Lucy sighed and looked in the mirror, pulling the dress up, and then down, and then finally wiggling back and forth until it was sitting just perfectly.

"No no this one isn't it either."

Seconds later, the dress landed on the reject pile, which was beginning to reach Lucy's knees.

"This is so _hard_," she whined, "I don't know what to wear."

For a moment she considered going to the guild and asking Levy or Mira for help, but then she decided she wasn't quite ready for the date to be public knowledge.

_I'm not even ready for the date itself. Why is this so difficult? We're just going to a nice restaurant, any one of these dresses would work. _

She sighed yet again, and pulled a red dress from the bottom of the pile. "I'll just wear this one. It will match his tie."

Lucy pictured him and blushed again.

"I can't believe he's tricked me into going on a date with him," she mumbled, slipping the fabric over her head. "I'm going to have to give him a lecture later about overstepping his boundaries. And he didn't let me get two words in! I wonder if that was on purpose… I wouldn't be surprised, he probably has years of practice tricking girls into dates. Or maybe he doesn't need to trick them, maybe they just always say yes..."

Lucy did her makeup next, and had to reapply her eyeliner not once but three times because her hands were shaking. She grumbled incoherently while she put on her mascara, though if someone had been listening they would have caught the phrases "_dumb boys_," "_thinks he's so great_," and "_with his dumb glasses" _repeatedly.

Finally, with one last dramatic sigh, she pulled out one of her keys.

"Open, Gate of the giant crab, Cancer!"

The spirit appeared with a flourish, brandishing his trademark scissors.

"What kind of hairstyle would you like today, _ebi?" _His green glasses flashed.

Lucy started to ask for an up do, but then she remembered.

_And I like it when you wear your hair down, if you were wondering_.

She sighed. "Just a trim."

Lucy stared at her reflection while Cancer stood behind her, snipping away at her hair.

"You look nice, _ebi_. Going somewhere?"

"On a date."

"With who, _ebi_?"

"…oh, no one special," she mumbled. "Hey Cancer, are celestial spirits allowed to… never mind." She closed her eyes and waited for him to finish. It took longer than she expected, but she was a little distracted so she didn't question it. Ten minutes later, he pulled away.

"All finished, _ebi_."

Lucy opened her eyes and blinked several times. "Oh wow," she said. Cancer had not only trimmed her hair, but styled it too, pulling her bangs away from her face with a pearl headband he'd produced out of nowhere. "It looks wonderful, thank you."

He nodded, and with a bow, disappeared.

Lucy put on her shoes, and sat in the kitchen. _It's only 6 o'clock? He won't even be here for almost two hours, why did I get ready so fast? _

With another dramatic sigh, she returned to her bedroom and sat at her desk. "I guess I'll just work on my novel…"

At first time passed slowly, but before Lucy knew it there was a knock at her door. She jumped a little, got up, walked towards the door, took a few steps back to look at herself in the mirror, then walked towards the door again. After a deep breath, she opened it.

Loke smiled at her. "Good evening, beautiful."

"…"

He handed her not a bouquet of 24 dozen roses, but a single, beautiful blossom with a long stem.

"I thought we'd start small," he said softly.

"I… uh, come in."

Lucy felt her cheeks grow hot as they walked into the kitchen. She turned away from him, suddenly feeling extremely shy, and walked to the cupboard.

"It's beautiful, the rose I mean, um, thank you," she said shakily. "I'll put it in some water." She stood on tiptoe and attempted to reach a vase on the top shelf.

"Allow me, Lucy."

His voice came from much closer than she'd expected, and suddenly she felt a hand on her waist as he reached up behind her and took the vase of the shelf.

"Here."

"Oh, t-thank you." She bit her lip. _Why am I so nervous? This is silly, it's just Loke. _

Still, she felt strangely warm where he'd touched her, and found that she couldn't meet his gaze.

Loke didn't mind. He took the opportunity to look her over, admiring her curves and the way her hair fell over her shoulders.

"You look very beautiful."

"Thank you. You look nice too. But I mean, you always do."

He was wearing his suit like usual, but lacked his trademark glasses. His eyes looked especially golden, and Lucy was tempted to take a closer look before quickly deciding that was a terrible idea.

She tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Um, I guess we should get going?"

"Of course."

He held the door for her, and just like that, Lucy was on her first date.


	4. Chapter 4: Dinner

(Thank you for all of the nice reviews! This is the first part of their date, but there's more to come)

Loke stared intently at Lucy across the table, and watched as she fidgeted in her seat.

He took a sip of his water, and then rested his chin on his hand. "Lucy?"

"Yeah?"

He smiled. "Relax."

"Oh, yeah…" She smiled back bashfully, and looked around. "It's really beautiful here."

"You like it? I'm so glad."

They were seated at a table outside. Light filtered out from inside of the restaurant, and glowed dimly from the candles on the tables. It gave everything a warm, golden look, and Loke thought Lucy looked angelic.

"So um, what do people usually do on dates?" she asked.

"Let's see, they usually go out to eat, walk together, do things like go to a movie or an amusement park… and there is a lot of talking. Or kissing, depending on how things go." He laughed softly as she reddened. "But since this is our first date I'll settle for admiring you across the table. You really do look beautiful. Red suits you."

Though Loke was endlessly pleased with this shy, vulnerable side of Lucy, he wanted her to _enjoy _the date. At the moment she looked rather uncomfortable.

_She can barely look at me, maybe I'm putting too much pressure on her. This is her first date after all, even if we are star-crossed lovers. She's probably worried she won't know what to say. And I've been on so many dates, maybe she's worried that she won't live up to my standards. Or wait, what if I'm not up to her standards? What if she expected this to be better? I picked the nicest restaurant I know… oh but she was an heiress, this is probably nothing to her. _

Loke adjusted his tie and started to look a little nervous himself.

Thankfully, the waitress arrived, and the awkwardness was broken in the bustle of ordering food.

Lucy smirked as the woman walked away. "I'm pretty sure she winked at you."

"I wouldn't be surprised," he said confidently, attempting to adjust his glasses. Of course, he wasn't wearing his glasses, and she laughed as a look of surprise came over his features.

"Why don't you have them on?"

"All the better to admire you."

She crossed her arms, suddenly frowning. "Well, as nice as that sounds, I hope you know that the _only _reason I am even on this date is because you didn't give me the chance to tell you _no_."

"Hey wait a minute, where did your shy mood go?"

"It left with our dinner order. Now, I don't have much date experience but I think it's customary to _ask _the girl before you make the reservations."

"Well that's if you're going on a _normal _date, but I think you and I both know that our love is stronger than any social customs. And _besides_, you could have said no, so-"

"When."

"When you told me you'd never been on a date before. It was the perfect window of opportunity. But obviously you _wanted _to go, otherwise you wouldn't have given me that valuable piece of information and inspired me to ensure the eternal sanctity of your first date experience. "

"Your logic is questionable," she mumbled. "And I think I've told you before, we're not madly in love."

"Ah Lucy you're so funny. Of _course _we are. I'll admit sometimes you need a little more _convincing _than the average woman, but our love is written in the stars. And on your face, every time I touch you and you turn that very cute shade of pink."

"…"

"Yup that's the one."

She covered her face and groaned. "I can't believe you tricked me into this. You know what they'll say at the guild? They'll never let me hear the end of it. I can see it now, someone will quietly tell Natsu and he'll shout it really loudly so everyone hears, _WHAT!? LUCY AND LOKE WENT ON A DATE!? _And then everyone is going to pester me, and Happy will say something rude, and Erza will probably be all weird about it and try to give me support with that funny sparkly eyed look she gets, and _ugh _you had better make this worth my trouble Leo because-"

"_Mmm _I love it when you call me Leo."

"Are you even listening!?"

He smiled. "I'm glad to see you're feeling better. I was a little worried that you were going to have a bad time. _Ha_, which is ludicrous of course, because I am an _expert _on dates, and on you." His expression softened. "But really Lucy, in all seriousness, I'm very happy you came."

"Yeah, well," she mumbled, "Don't expect it to happen again…"

"So, this is your first date, but you mentioned other offers?"

Loke spent the next ten minutes watching Lucy give animated descriptions of her other suitors, half listening to her and half admiring the way her mouth moved when she spoke. Then the food came and they traded stories about their mutual friends, wizards and celestial spirits alike. Lucy laughed so hard she almost choked when Loke told a particularly good one about Gray inadvertently stripping when they'd volunteered at the old folk's home.

"He didn't even realized he'd done it until that one little old woman in the bathing suit had her arms around his chest. I think he's scarred for life."

Lucy wiped a tear from her eye and giggled. "Oh man I am reminding him about that at the first opportunity." Her smile faded a little. "Do you ever miss working with him? You two seem like really good friends. It makes me sad sometimes, when I think about it."

Loke looked at her thoughtfully. _She's so caring. _

"I miss it sometimes, him, and Fairy Tail in general. I had a good time there. Even though I was suffering, because of Karen… if I hadn't joined the guild, things would have been much worse for me. And of course, I never would have met you. …I'm very, very happy I met you Lucy."

"I'm happy I met you too, Loke. Leo."

It was quiet, and Loke's hand slowly started to slide across the table towards hers.

But then she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "But don't get the wrong idea. I still think you're a tacky flirt."

"You'll come around. After all, I've been ranked _Top Mage You Want to Have as a Boyfriend _not once but _twice_."

She rolled her eyes, but smiled at him.

He smiled too, because he knew he was right.


	5. Chapter 5: An Unexpected Moment

(Sorry it's a little short! I'll try to make the next one longer.)

Lucy swung her spoon with a flourish. "Are you _sure _you don't want anymore?"

Loke smiled. "No, you finish it. It's too rich for me."

"Suit yourself," she replied, taking another bite of chocolate lava cake. "_Thif if fo good!_" she mumbled, swallowing a mouthful of delicious hot fudge. "Ah, I love desert."

"I had a feeling you were one of those girls who likes sweets."

"_Hey_, what are you implying?" she grumbled.

He simply grinned in reply and waved at the waitress, letting her know he was ready to pay the bill.

Five minutes later, Lucy and Loke walked out of the restaurant. He looked at her.

"You have a little something right there Love."

Rather than gesture to the smudge of chocolate on her cheek, he leaned in and kissed it off, letting his tongue lightly graze her skin.

"Mmm, _delicious_."

She jumped a little, and swatted at him. "_Hey _watch it lover boy."

"Sorry, I couldn't resist. You up for a little more fun?"

"Mmhmm."

"Great!"

Loke's whole face brightened and he grabbed Lucy's arm suddenly. "Come on I know just what we can do!"

Suddenly they were running. Or rather, Loke was running and Lucy was half running, half flailing.

"Hey wait I'm in heels, I can't- _oh!_"

He picked her up, bridal style, and bumped his nose against hers. "Is that better, princess?"

"I, um…"

Their faces were very close together. Loke suddenly stopped smiling. His eyes darted to her lips.

There was a long, tense moment of silence as they looked at each other. She wanted to turn away, but she found she could not, and instead stared intently into his eyes. She gazed, mesmerized, at the flecks of gold that brightened their warm hazel color, and she saw the way they were asking her a question without words.

Loke leaned in, and kissed the corner of her mouth softly, slowly. Lucy stopped breathing, and he pulled away to look at her.

This was not like when he loudly declared their love. It wasn't like when he playfully kissed her cheeks, or when he winked at her. Gone were the jovial flirtations, the mutual joke Lucy thought they shared.

This was real. Warm and gentle and nervous and full of longing.

It caught Lucy off guard.

"Sorry," he breathed, seeing the flicker of fear in her eyes. "I couldn't resist."

He put her down, and rubbed the back of his head nervously. "It's getting a little late, I'll walk you back to your apartment."


	6. Chapter 6: Damage Control

(Hey everyone, thank you for all of the new follows! I'm sorry I haven't updated in quite a bit, between finishing up the semester and moving 15 hours away I've been rather busy. It'll probably be in shorter installments for a while.)

Lucy stared as Loke turned and began heading down the sidewalk, his hands shoved into his pockets. She was dazed, and the kiss burned on her skin. It took her a few seconds to snap out of it and chase after him.

"Loke wait up!"

She grabbed his arm, and then quickly let go when she saw the way he was looking at her.

"I…" Words left her, and she stuttered. "I um, that is, I thought you had somewhere you wanted to take me? Or something…"

"…Lucy…"

"It's okay," she said quickly. She sounded overly cheerful, and her smile was forced. He shook his head.

"I crossed the line, clearly, I'm sorry. It won't happen again." He tried to keep walking.

"Woah Loke _slow down_, I didn't even say anything about it yet. R-really it's okay. I mean yes um you surprised me and that was a bit closer to the mouth region than I was expecting but it's not like you kissed me on the lips or anything, you don't have to look so dejected."

He turned his face away from her, looking bitter and ashamed.

Lucy had a sudden moment of déjà vu and pictured Loke on his knees, in front of Karen Lilica's grave.

"_This is my sin. I'll die without complaint."_

She blinked several times, and her nervous butterflies went away as she contemplated the spirit in front of her.

_Shut down. That's what he does when he feels he's at fault. He shuts down. Closes off and punishes himself. And his emotions fluctuate so quickly. It only took a few seconds for him to decide the situation was going poorly and was beyond saving. He's sensitive, I'd forgotten. I haven't seen this side of him in a long time._

She did the only thing she could think of and hugged him, throwing her arms tightly around his waist and burying her face in his shirt.

"I'm not mad at you Loke, please don't go. I'm having a really nice time with you, let's stay out a little longer okay?"

He looked down at her in surprise. "Lucy…"

She raised her eyes and smiled a little. "You're such a drama queen. Kissing me and then fleeing the scene. Some date expert you are. I bet if Sorcerer Magazine found out they'd take you off their _Mage You Want to Have as a Boyfriend _list."

"You're… not upset?" he asked breathlessly.

"Of course not."

He relaxed a little, and rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I was kind of worried, I thought you looked a little freaked out that I kissed you so-"

She smacked him upside the head. "Well of course I was freaked out! I never said I wasn't freaked out. You can't go around kissing people like that without their permission! I just mean that I'm not _mad _at you or anything. It's not like you haven't done plenty of other highly inappropriate things. I'm very well adjusted to your romantic shenanigans. Now, are we going to go do something else or not?"

"I… I think I'll save it for next time. It's cloudy tonight, we need a clear sky for what I have planned. Let's walk back to your place."

"Okay."

He took her hand and they went off silently, endlessly aware of their skin touching and yet worlds away from each other, lost in thought.

Loke glanced at her. _She still thinks I'm just flirting with her. She doesn't think I'm serious about my feelings for her. And when she did think I was being genuine… she looked really afraid. But she's brushed it off, so I'm okay now. Damage control all done. _

On the one hand Loke was relieved, but on the other hand it bothered him a little that she didn't take him seriously.

Lucy was equally relieved that she'd regained control of the situation, but her cheeks still felt hot as she replayed the moment over and over in her head. Loke was right; the tenderness in his eyes had frightened her a little. But it wasn't because she was uncomfortable with the idea. It was simply something she had never thought of before.

_I have a feeling it's __**all **__I'm going to think about now. _

(Sorry it's brief! Our two lovebirds are both feeling a little awkward, but things can only get better. Keep reading this month for girl talk, dangerous jobs, interference from well meaning friends, and hopefully some kissing. But we'll see...)


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